SOUTHWEST AIRLINES:
BAG TRANSFER
CLIENT
southwest airlines
CONTRIBUTION
USER EXPERIENCE, VISUAL DESIGN
TEAM
JOHN NORTON, CALLIE THOMPSON, michelle oros
STAKEHOLDERS
HEAD OF PRODUCT (SOUTHWEST AIRLINES), HEAD OF OPERATIONS (SOUTHWEST AIRLINES)
Equipping transfer drivers with the real-time, contextual info they need to drive on-time, accurate bag pickup and delivery.
PROBLEM →
We've all experienced it first-hand or known someone whose luggage was lost in-transit. It's the most disconsolate feeling - waiting for your bag to appear on the carousel after all the other passengers have picked up theirs. A seemingly endless list of variables (flight changes, passenger punctuality, routing label damage, complexity of the handling system, etc) claim 25,000,000 bags annually. Nearly half of those are lost are due to problems with flight transfers. Southwest came to us with one goal in mind: significantly decrease their contribution to that number.
Southwest's process was stuck in the past. They utilized printed itineraries that became outdated as soon as the baggage handlers began their "run".
GOALS →
The crude nature of the paper print out resulted in processes that varied vastly among transfer drivers. These were highly skilled individuals that excelled in high-pressure/ambiguous situations but were not comfortable with the latest tech. It was clear that any solution eliminating human intervention and improvisation would be met with great resistance. Our goal was to create a tool that provided transfer drivers the visibility to near real-time data they needed to plan and execute.
IMPROVE CURRENT PROCESS
- Accuracy of information
- Information hierarchy
- Baggage delays
- Mishandled bag ratio
DEFINE NEW FEATURES
- Confirmation of delivery
- Time-sensitive delay info
- Flight search & sort
- Data refresh
TARGET AUDIENCE →
We had direct access to Southwest's in-house transfer driver staff.
TRANSFER DRIVERS
Help load and unload customer bags, operate ground service equipment, coordinate the servicing of arriving and departing aircraft, prepare aircraft cabins for departure, assist with ramp services including waste disposal and re-servicing of aircraft.
WHAT WE LEARNED →
We spent an entire day following Southwest's transfer driver staff around on the tarmac and studying their craft. This hands-on experience gave us quick and valuable insight into the overall complexity, unique work style and disposition of the crew. Each driver had a unique approach that enabled them the ability to deviate and improvise when things changed. Things changed constantly.
CURRENT PROCESS
Check-in with supervisor → Supervisor gives you flight number → Enter flight number into computer → Print transfer driver report → Wait until the flight arrives at the gate → Flight arrives, grab tug and carts → Go to the plane, collect all transfer bags → Distribute bags to appropriate locations → Walkie back to supervisor, get new flight → Repeat
TOP 3 THINGS WE LEARNED
- Drivers did not want a tool that tried to do their job for them
- Changes needed to grab the driver's attention as quickly as possible
- Certain data was only relevant at key points in the process
WHAT WE CREATED →
At the conclusion of our research, we decided the best solution would be an iPad application that would leverage the new bag tracking API. The mobility of the iPad would give each runner constant visibility to the data they previously didn't have. Southwest immediately began custom fitting iPad cases to the middle console of the tug vehicles.
DATA VISIBILITY AND HIERARCHY
One of the primary issues with the printouts was the visual noise that the quantity of data resulted in. Our goal was to present the transfer driver with only the most relevant information at each step of the process.
FOCUSED ALERTS
Access to live data eliminated the process of voicing changes over comms and scribbling them on to the report. Some changes had a larger impact than others — this needed to be addressed in the visual design.
GEAR-CONSCIOUS UI
Drivers wore a fair amount of protective gear that could hinder their ability to interact with the UI. We needed to create a solution that would be easy for the driver to use with gloves on.
INFORMNING AND FLEXIBLE
The app leveraged historic data and aggregated flight information based on how quickly the model's thought it could be accomplished. These were only suggestions. Drivers had the flexibility to quickly and easily adjust the itinerary based on their personal preference.
VISUAL CONCEPTS →
VISUAL DESIGNS →
LIST VIEW
Traditionally only accessible from a desktop, the complete flight list is available even from the tarmac. With the confidence the data is up-to-date, transfer drivers can go from flight to flight with ease.
SINGLE FLIGHT
We quickly learned that driver’s had a pattern of reordering the drops by sketching them on their print out. With that in mind, we made it extremely easy to reorder drops, or split the flight with a fellow driver. Giving the user full control without interrupting their process.
DRIVE MODE
Hands on the wheel and eyes on the tarmac has never been more important. That was the number one goal in the drive mode screen. With just a glance, transfer drivers can easily see their next gate or alert, allowing them to stay focused in a hectic environment.
